Amy Gillett Bikeway

[bionic wombat]

Any one have any idea what it looks like via maps?

32-kilometre Amy Gillett Bikeway from Oakbank to Mount Pleasant

[bongo]

I thought this path was to follow the old train line that runs between the two towns?Google earth should show this.

[Wino]

At present its just a bit between Oakbank and Woodside - which is a good start. The remainder will be done over the next mellennia, with a section completed each year until it finally gets to Mt Pleasant. At present it is alongside Onkapringa Rd.

[Wino]

Had a slow ride along it this morning. It was good to see it being used by many pedestrians (with dogs all well behaved), and kids on bikes (going all over the place). Unfortunately this makes its difficult to maintain any pace as you are constantly slowing down/speeding up to pass, and also all the giveways for the side roads. The bikeway surface itself is pretty coarse.

One thing to look out for is the hand rails on the many bridges. They are at shoulder height and come into the centre effectively narrowing the track, with just a solid tube aiming straight for you. They are also painted green which is nice as it blends into the background and isnt really too visable until last minute. So beware when you are passing others.

So now my decision is do I get run over by 100km/h traffic on the road or skewered by the bridges on the AGB - tough choice.

[Biffidus]

I'm guessing a complaint to the appropriate council will have them wrapped in reflective hazard tape pretty quickly (depending on how many words like "hazard", "liability" and "compensation" are mentioned).

[ColinOldnCranky]

The path is rough? That seems strange. What is it topped with? I'd expect hotmix in this day and age.

Re kids, if they are of school age then hopefully they will back there by about now. Anyway, as winter comes (do you even have winter in SA?) only commuters will be on it. And once toddlers are gone, then, assuming it is wide (is it?) and mostly straight decent commuting speeds should be inorder. Time will tell.

[Sumichino]

I drove past part of it near Oakbank on Tuesday night, there was some red reflective flags on the hand rails for at least one of the bridges.

[dirty_harry]

yeah the railings now have high vis flags hanging on them, my guess is some one sconned them selves
@colin the surface is definately not hot mix i wish it was, it is closer to a gravel rd with cement dust mixed in so that it goes a bit solid. oh and in the middle of the path somewhere you have to cross a driveway which is literally a gravel river which even at low speeds nearly threw me off arg. nice peaceful track off of the rd but the surface is horrid i can deal with the kids and dogs i can deal with the giveway at rd sides but the surface is horible on a rd bike.
harry

[ColinOldnCranky]

Is there somewhere that describes it? (It hasn't generated a Wikipedia page yet.) Pics? Where on Google Maps is it? All I know is that it is named after Amy, will be 32km long and the first section has been built. And that it is a significant advance for cyclists and costs a lot of money.

I had assumed it was a dedicated commuter type path taking advantage of an unused railway space. But I now sense that it may be a recreational bike path, through some bush, etc? Or is it urban? And it connects with and crosses roads???

Confused!!!

[Biffidus]

It's up in the hills where an old section railway line used to be. If you search for Oakbank, Woodside and Mount Pleasant on Google Maps you can see the towns but I couldn't spot the old train line in those photos...

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?saddr=Oakbank+SA&daddr=woodside+SA+to:Mount+Pleasant+SA

[ColinOldnCranky]

Thanks Biffidus - that gives me a different perspective - I had visions of a cycle freeway. Smooth top, good speed, no interaction with roads, etc Maybe the term "bikeway" predisposed me to that.

Maybe it is somewhat along he lines and intent of the Mundabiddy track over here. Although yours would be all level if it is over an old rail route, so regular bikes could aspire to use it, hence some desire for smoother surface. The mundabiddy is mostly for mountain/off road bikes with lots of hard clay surface and hills and dales. And as long as all hell. Sort of a bike riders bush-walk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munda_Biddi_Trail

[Biffidus]

They are only just starting to catch on to the idea that cyclists might be trying to get somewhere in Adelaide. Most bike paths meander to and fro and cross lots of roads and the bike lanes are really just a line separating the cars from the potholes, gratings and rubbish that the street sweepers have pushed out of the way. They also have a nasty habit of vanishing at the first sign of an intersection or corner.

I'd love to see some dedicated bike paths (they would probably call them veloways like the one along the sorthern expressway) along particularly bad roads (South Road, anyone?) and bike lanes on some of the narrow roads heading up into the hills.

[Sumichino]

I finally got around to getting out to oakbank to ride this path. The surface is unbelievably terrible. I was averaging about 24-25 km/h whereas on the road I should be doing about 30+. I've ridden over unsealed gravel roads that are smoother than this. Still at least it's straight and actually goes somewhere.

[Wino]

Yep, sure is bumpy. The good thing is you can use it for training for the Paris Roubaix!

[brauluver]

Yep, sure is bumpy. The good thing is you can use it for training for the Paris Roubaix!

Typical halfarsed , backwater Adelaide token attempt at something good again then?

[DanielS]

I'm surprised to hear its that bad... what is the surface made of? Is it bitumenised? Isn't it brand new?

[Wino]

Yep brand new. I'm not sure how to explain - its not hot mix, but it does have bitumen and gravel top coat. I thing the problem is more the subsurface which makes it lumpy.

The good thing I see is that a lot of young kids are on their bikes out there getting some excercise, and a lot of mums with prams etc going for a walk. which is good to see, but makes going for a proper ride (+30k/hr) not the safest thing to do for all concerned. Consequenly I stick to the road and put up with the comments from cars who yell that I should be on the bikeway. Cant win.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Yep, sure is bumpy. The good thing is you can use it for training for the Paris Roubaix!

Typical halfarsed , backwater Adelaide token attempt at something good again then?

I love the way you croweaters take the piss out of yourself. There was a web page at http://saculture.com/entries/a.html entitled "The Encyclopaedia of South Australian Culture" which was hilarious, particularly for anyone who had been there a few times. Great sport and I have never been able to find a similar one for Perth.

I'm glad I committed it's content to a word doc because it seems to have been taken off. If anyone has a copy, they should publish it back on.

To avoid hijacking this thread, I''ll post a smattering of the encyclopaedia at viewtopic.php?f=37&t=29925&p=431340#p431340